STARKVILLE — There was a chant echoing through Humphrey Coliseum on Sunday, but it wasn’t one started by the 6,297 fans in attendance. Instead, Mississippi State women’s basketball coach Sam Purcell was leading the charge.
Signaling the No. 1 with his pointer finger, he was letting the crowd know his thoughts on guard Jerkaila Jordan’s future.
“One more year,” he started. The fans joined him.
If there was any doubt about why he would want Jordan back next season for her final year of eligibility, she shut it down. Behind her 22-point outing, Mississippi State beat Missouri 90-75 to close the regular season.
“Your boy is not only a head coach, he’s a recruiter,” Purcell said postgame. “There’s two hats I’m wearing out there. I want the kid to come back. I love that kid.”
Jordan heard the chants, and she knows what her coach wants. However, she hasn’t announced a decision yet.
“It means a lot,” she said. “The fans, they mean a lot to me. They’re special. Right now, honestly, just focusing one game at a time, finishing out with this team. Right now, we’re looking to play in March and play into the tournament. I don’t want to look too far ahead.”
The victory snapped a five-game losing skid for an MSU team that went from second in the SEC standings to the bubble of the NCAA tournament projections. However, it also reminded those watching — hopefully the selection committee — what Mississippi State (21-10, 8-8 SEC) is capable of when Jordan is healthy.
She has played and started all 31 games this season, but she hasn’t looked as sharp in recent weeks. In her previous four games entering Sunday, she had shot 18-for 51 from the field (35.3%). Purcell confirmed Sunday that Jordan has been battling an illness, and he wasn’t sure she’d make the trip to Oxford to face Ole Miss on Feb. 18.
“Y’all saw Jerk of old because she’s healthy,” Purcell said. “She’s finally eating again.”
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Whether Jordan returns next season will be a crucial piece for the program’s third year under Purcell. However, her return to full strength could be the key to a successful end to this season.
Mississippi State was projected as one of the last four teams to make the field of 68 entering Sunday, according to ESPN. A win against Missouri (11-18, 2-14) kept MSU from dropping. A win against Texas A&M in the conference tournament on Thursday (11 a.m. CT, SEC Network) could shut down any doubt.
Jordan transferred to MSU from Tulane ahead of the 2021-22 season in hopes of making noise in March Madness. She got a taste of it last season, helping guide the Bulldogs from a play-in game to the second round.
During a pregame video Sunday, Purcell said his favorite moment of Jordan’s career was watching her slap Mississippi State’s name on a bracket after the Bulldogs beat Illinois in that play-in game. With her leading the way, MSU could have chances for similar memories soon.
“We need her,” teammate Lauren Park-Lane said. “This team doesn’t roll the same way without her.”
Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jerkaila Jordan discusses her future with Mississippi State basketball
